His mind would always drift back to the secrets he had buried deep inside him. The night at the dock was always the worst. It had been so cold that it still stuck out in his mind. Never before did he remember October feeling like ice. The memory of Fletcher dry heaving with one shoe missing and Sam viciously scrubbing the back of the truck was another moment Roman wished he could reverse. Worst of all that night was Ellis's blank stare with one of the lenses of his glasses cracked down the center. He was absolutely motionless, almost as if moving would cause him to break.

The four boys swore that night they would never speak of it again. Not once in three years had they talked about that night nor had they talked to each other. In spite of his mind drifting back to the docks, Roman was thankful that they didn't speak anymore. They weren’t who they used to be, each shifting into people that Roman couldn’t respect.

Roman walked across the brick patio that hung over the pond. A pointless piece of architecture in his opinion. They could have built around the pond, but Holloway Academy wasn't about simplicity. Flashy and pretentious was what Holloway Academy was founded on. In its entirety, the school grounds must have been nearly two hundred and fifty acres. It was mostly sports fields but the large original English brick buildings took up more than their fair share of land. The entire school was beautiful, picture perfect in nearly every way and Roman despised it with every fiber of his being. It stood as a testament to show that hard work meant nothing. It was all about who you know, not what. And Roman was just another rich kid destined for success because his family had money. He didn't get a say in the matter.

Roman swung the side door open and nearly hit Warren. Dodging, Warren jutted out his bottom lip in some attempt to look unimpressed, but his baby face made it seem more like pouting. It had been nearly five months since he saw Warren and for the most part, he looked the same. He still had his short cropped brown hair, puppy dog eyes and ears that stuck out like flags, but he was a little taller.

“Davenport! Good to see ya,” Warren said, wrapping his arm around Roman's shoulder as he came through the door. For all intents and purposes, Warren and Roman were friends. Not good friends but the sort that are bonded together by a few too many bad choices. “How was that camping shit your parents sent you to? What was it called? Wilderness camping? Frontier living?”

“Wilderness therapy. Was supposed to make me more pleasant.” Roman smiled in a way that seemed more like he was baring his teeth. "I lived in the woods for five months and have to say, better than living with them.”

“Was it the stolen car or the tire fire we started?” Warren said walking backward so he could face Roman as they talked.

“Those were both you, not me and actually, it was throwing the dirt bikes in the lake.” Roman often knew when he had something wrong, and usually he could find a way to justify it. Admittedly though, he didn't have a reason for tossing his brother's dirt bike. “They figured sending me to live in the woods with other troubled teens would set me straight.”

“Surprised Holloway even let you back in with the record you've built,” Warren added, stopping short of the end of the hallway. “You get your schedule?”

“Yep. Latin is my language credit.” The bitterness seeped through his words. “Love learning a dead language.” Roman shuffled through his plain black backpack to find the crumpled-up schedule. He handed it to Warren who immediately began laughing.

“Latin is the least of your concerns. You got A.P Biology with Ross. You get to spend the next semester sitting in a classroom full of kids who hate you.” Warren passed the schedule back and leaned against a locker. "And, Ross is a hard ass. I'd be asking to get switched into another class.”

“Can't. Late placement so I can't make any changes. Still have to make up the work from half of the semester I missed too.” Starting class in October wasn't ideal in most cases but it was particularly bad when everyone knew why Roman had disappeared. “Can you move? That's my locker.”

Warren nodded, stepping out of the way. Digging through his locker, Roman pulled out his biology textbook and shoved his backpack in without much concern. He did however need a pencil which was an issue. Roman's locker looked like a tornado had blown through it. The last time he cleaned it was probably the start of high school, but he was still finding papers from middle school. Desperately, he searched for something to write with while Warren made a snappy comment about the mess. A small photo slipped out of the locker along with some math homework from ninth grade. Swooping down, Warren grabbed the photo and took a closer look.

“Aw! You used to be friends with the headmaster's kid? That's just too cute.” He waved the photo in front of Roman's face.

It was an older photo of Roman with his arm wrapped around Ellis at what looked to be a birthday party. Roman snatched the photo from his hands and tossed it back in his locker. Of all the things in the world he didn't want Warren knowing, his friendship with Ellis was pretty high on the list.

“Care to go for a rip through the woods tonight? The boys have missed you.” That was a lie.

Warren's friends didn't like Roman and he knew it but as with everything else at Holloway Academy, they had to put on a show. Roman shook his head no murmuring something about how his parents were only allowing him to have fun on Fridays now; a rule proposed to make him miserable.

“Aw, Friday is the annual memorial dinner for that Davis kid and seeing as I am in culinary, I have to serve it...You should go.” A smile creeped onto Warren's face. “You can try my delicious quiche.”

“Yeah, I haven't gone to any of them so I'm not starting now. Plus, I don't want food poisoning from the monstrosity you call quiche.” Roman replied pretending not to notice Warren who had put his hand over his heart and feigned offence.

Roman shrugged half-heartedly and started walking to the bio lab while Warren left in the other direction. He didn't know or particularly care where Warren was going but he was willing to bet it wasn't a class. Twisting his wrist, he checked the time. First day back and he was already late. He let out a sigh as the sound of his dress shoes hitting marble tile echoed throughout the empty hallway.

The walls were wood paneled with only two pictures carefully hung on them. The first picture was of a senior student with a wild grin and messy brown hair. From the photo alone, you could tell he was full of life and yet beneath the picture a small plague read, Davis Astor, forever in our memory. The second photo was of Prudence Holloway, daughter of the headmaster. It captured her perpetual pout well. Fucking creepy, Roman thought to himself. The photo's eyes seemed to follow him as he walked.

Turning quickly, he entered his biology class. It had black top lab tables spread out across the room and stools instead of regular chairs. All the tables faced one large chalkboard as the school refused to keep up with the times. Quickly scanning the room, Roman felt a sense of dread washing over him at the sight of his classmates. Sitting at the front of the class was Ellis with his gold trim glasses resting at the end of his nose. Whether he was sitting there to kiss up to the teacher or to see better was anyone's guess. At the table closest to the door was Fletcher, most likely to stay as humanly far away from Ellis as possible. Roman cut across the room to another table before he realized Sam was sitting there. He didn't recognize him with the shaved head but the second the two made eye contact, Roman knew.

Thankfully, there was another table so Roman took his seat beside the fish tank. Mr. Ross didn't even ask why he was late. He probably knew better than to ask Roman why. As Mr. Ross began to dive into the topic of environmental biology, Roman's mind began to wander.

“I'll repeat the question. What environmental issues have you personally seen in our town?” Mr. Ross said, placing his hands in the pockets of his suit. He looked exactly like the businessmen that filled wall street and Roman had no idea why he would ever care to dress so nicely only to teach some teenagers who didn’t really care.

“There is a lot of clear cutting going on around the edge of town.” Ellis spoke in a tone higher than his natural voice.

Another student immediately huffed as if the statement was a personal attack. The kid hissed something about it being completely safe, but Ellis disagreed with a level of aloofness that was sure to infuriate everyone.

“There's a lot of pollution in the local water system-” Fletcher didn't even finish his sentence before someone on the other side of the room said pollution was necessary.

Silence overtook the class as Mr. Ross waited for another person to speak but no one made any attempt. Slowly, Mr. Ross walked between the tables and leaned on Roman's table.

“What do you think Mr. Davenport?” That I don't care, Roman thought to himself but he knew Mr. Ross was expecting more.

“The school's sports fields are a waste of land and require chemicals to maintain them so God only knows how it's affecting the local wildlife.” It was a cheap and quick answer but Roman would have been lying if he didn't say how much he enjoyed the look of annoyance that played across Ellis's face as he spoke.

“Excellent point, Mr. Davenport. This leads us to our term project. I will be assigning each group an environmental issue that our own town is facing right now. Your job will be to research the issue, give a 15–20-minute presentation on what is happening, what damage it will cause and propose how we can fix it. The presentation will be accompanied by an 8-page paper. I will be inviting the town council to watch and see if our solutions can better in Emmerson” The moment Mr. Ross stopped speaking the class broke out in a soft hum of people discussing partnering up. Roman watched carefully making no motion to join the impromptu groups that were forming. “Ah, sorry guys. Groups will be assigned at random.”

As Mr. Ross began to rattle off the groups, Roman was left with a bitter taste in his mouth. A bullshit assignment with a bullshit group, just what I wanted, he thought. For a moment, he thought back to the wilderness camp and wondered if he should have stayed.

“Group 3, Ellis Holloway.” Mr. Ross announced.

Fate was a strange and fickle thing and something Roman certainly didn't believe in. He preferred the idea of free will, that at any moment he could change his life and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Fate was for people who didn't want to take accountability for their lives.

“Fletcher Yates.”

The idea of some cosmic force guiding was absolutely ridiculous. Life could easily be chalked up to coincidence; nothing more, nothing less. It wasn't some woman sitting at the loom plucking strings, it was luck, all luck.

“Samuel Schuyler and Roman Davenport”

Fate above all else was a bitch.

Mr. Ross continued announcing the group, but the four boys had stopped listening. Each stared at each other like a cat ready to pounce. Of all the people and of the classes for Roman to be in, it had to be this one. Maybe fate was real and punishing him for some transgression. Although it wasn't logical, it was the only thing he had to explain his miserable situation. Yeah, the woods would have been better, he noted. Mr. Ross dismissed the class, letting the students take the next period to begin their research. It occurred to Roman he hadn't even heard the topic they were assigned. It didn't matter anyways; Ellis would try to do the whole thing by himself as he always did. Packing up his books, he watched as the other three boys approached Mr. Ross.

“Mr. Ross, do you have a moment?” Sam asked politely.

“Sure.” Mr. Ross replied as he shifted through some papers on his desk.

“Sir, is switching allowed-” Fletcher hadn't even finished his sentence before Ellis cut in, his hands placed on his hips. As if a power stance was going to convince anyone that he should be taken seriously.

“I can't work with them. Roman is too far behind in the class to be useful. Fletcher has too many time commitments to actually work on the project and Sam... well I'm not sure how Sam fits in this class.” Ellis moved his hands around to emphasize his point while Sam just stood silently.

“Not pullin' any punches, are you?” Roman said before walking up behind Ellis.

“Sorry boys, I can't make any exceptions. Besides, it will be good for you all to learn how to work with people you don't get along with.” Mr. Ross gave a condescending smile before shooing them out of the room.

The boys walked down the hall just far enough apart for people to tell they weren't friends. Unfortunately, the library was located on the other side of campus meaning they had a long walk filled with awkward silence. Fletcher and Ellis walked about a foot apart from each other and six feet ahead of Sam and Roman. They didn't want to be associated with them. It wasn't hurtful but they could have been a little less on the nose about it but then again subtlety was something the Holloway's lacked. Taking long strides, Ellis began to speak.

“We should meet once a week without research materials. Limit the time we have to spend together.” He spun around on his heel and stared Roman down. “We should make a schedule.” It was highly possible that his suggestion was the most Ellis-like thing Roman has ever heard. “I'm free Monday and Tuesday. I have debate and student council through the rest of the week.”

“Can't, I have swim.” Fletcher said like he didn't smell like chlorine ninety five percent of the time.

It was impossible to forget his team captain status as he had centered his entire personality around it. Sam stepped up between Fletcher and Ellis with a half-cocked grin. He was either about to propose a solution or say something incredible stupid.

“I can't, I have plans. None of which involved you. And no, you can't know what.” The last part was directed at Ellis who had jaw clenched so tightly, Roman wasn't entirely sure he would be able to open it again. “Best I can offer is every other Friday. No Ellis, you don't get a reason.”

“I have swim!” Fletcher squeaked.

A high school swim team was the cornerstone of what it meant to be Fletcher Yates, the all-American boy. He looked the part too with school uniform and his curly brown hair racked back to look tamed and. The finely knit sweater vest and navy-blue blazer made him look like he came straight out of a propaganda poster.

It wasn't until Fletcher clapped his hands together that Roman realized he didn't hear a word anyone said but it must have been bad considering the thin line that Fletcher drew his lips into. The four boys studied each other trying to decide who would break first. Talking over each other, they tried to make their points with increasing levels of melodrama that quite frankly only belonged in the drama program. Roman would let them argue it out. It wasn't like he had anything to schedule around. His life had become a cycle of wake up, school, home, fight with mom, sleep, rinse and repeat. Honestly anything to keep him out of the house was welcomed at this point. Even if it meant spending time with Ellis.

“Okay, So Fletcher and I will meet on Wednesdays. Sam and Roman can meet Fridays. After that we can meet back in class and review what we have. We can rotate meeting partners so that-” Ellis stopped short of finishing his sentence completely perplexed by Roman who had just held up his finger to his lips.

“Saturday mornings. Library. 8 am.” He asserted. “There are no swim practices, debate team or student council meetings on weekends. Any objections?” He paused and smiled softly in a way that was more patronizing than friendly. “Now, I'm gonna ditch.but If anyone needs me, don't text me, don't call me.”

Roman whipped around and rounded the corner in spite of Ellis' objections. The other boys didn't even attempt to follow him. Part of him was satisfied by how fast they gave up but there was a creeping sense of guilt. Shaking his head, he pushed the feeling down and looped around another corner. Although the school was a maze, he knew it like the back of his hand or at least he thought he did but as he walked further the halls seemed to get narrower.

The exit to the back courtyard should have been right there and yet it was gone. Walls started to draw in towards him, almost swallowing him whole. He put his arms out, trying desperately to put the walls back. Nearly half a decade, he’d been walking the halls of Holloway Academy but now he didn’t recognize it. It was like looking in a carnival mirror, everything distorted but familiar. His chest ignited with a burn he had never felt before, almost like his skin was melting into his ribs. Breathing became a challenge. He may as well have been breathing through a coffee stir stick.

“What the hell are you doing?” Roman didn't have to look up to see that Warren was standing above him, the voice was enough for him to recognize. Funny, he didn't remember falling.

Not responding, he whipped his head from left to right and then back again. Everything in the hall was as it always had been. The wood paneling on the walls, the white trim around the windows and the glass door to the back courtyard all just as he remembered it. It didn't make sense, just moments before it was foreign and now it was like nothing had changed. Maybe I spent too long in the woods, he thought. He wasn't used to being indoors, to feeling trapped. What kind of therapy made you claustrophobic?